Post #671306

2026-03-12 08:16 UTC

I see the #fedi announcement by a commercial marketing agency of a venture capital based app store joining the fediverse. Is the #fediverse we have capable of avoiding #enshittification as it grows and attracts an increasing number of corporations, who make it their market? Is our #ActivityPub landscape resistant to corporate capture and eventual takeover and domination? Just like the Corporate Web, also decentralized. There are nice niches on the web, like a bloggosphere, bulletin boards, and news readers, that all still exist. But web as a whole is predominantly corporate, arguably not commons based, for the people by the people. Social experience design defines &quot;commons based&quot; as &quot;where people are in control of their future on a path of healthy evolution and natural growth&quot;. A core principle is being sustainable at all times, and timely acknowledge and mitigate risks. Is fediverse commons based? Did we cocreate the Future of Social networking? #SX #SocialCoding #poll #AskFedi

Replies (5)

@applepine@todon.nl 2026-03-12 08:35

@smallcircles private property social media is *designed* to make you stay there as long as possible — creating familiarity and making you remember and think about it more frequently. Since #fediverse intent to be healthier, it does't break your #autonomy about your time and probably never makes you addicted. The consequence is that it's harder to stay using it more than how much we used corporate social media. Plus, the fact that popular people aren't much here. Both of the things we "lack of" are interesting only for #capitalism , not the liberating place we're making. What I think can be done about Fediverse popularity is attracting more progressive and popular people here — by actually presenting it to them.

Open ##1339785
@kleisli@mastodon.social 2026-03-12 22:50

@smallcircles I don't see where the problem for the fediverse should be. I think it is always a win for the open internet, when open standard protocols like ActivityPub are used to publish and exchange data.

Open ##1339795
@tferrer@journa.host 2026-03-14 10:59

@smallcircles Yes, if we never forget that the forces pushing for enshittification are immensely strong and endeavor to not depend too much of any tool we (as a community) don't control

Open ##1339802
@fresseng@universites.social 2026-03-14 11:04

@smallcircles I almost answered yes. No one can hurt us. This is the answer I feel good, but it needs to carefully take advantage of it. An example is Thread, which tried, or faked to try, to join the Fediverse. At least Meta tried to take advantage of it. So yes, decentralisation is a strength. It will not do everything though. #fedi #fediverse #enshittification #ActivityPub #SX #SocialCoding #poll #AskFedi

Open ##1339803
@TKzSingularity@mastodon.au 2026-03-16 10:29

@smallcircles push marketing will always be the bully in the playground. Keep the market place accessible for those who want it, like a school canteen, but separate from where the kids play in the playground

Open ##1339804